


The Cursed Springs

by SonnyGoten



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: BAMF Sesshoumaru (InuYasha), Canonical Character Death, Canonical Character Death refers to Kagura, Gen, Genderbending, Genderswap, InuYasha has a Heart of Gold, InuYasha is the Voice of Reason, Mpreg, Non-con... ish?, Ranma ½ AU, Satire, Sesshomaru puts Pride before Reason, not yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 04:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19716223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonnyGoten/pseuds/SonnyGoten
Summary: When Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, chasing after Naraku, fall into one of the cursed springs of Jusenkyo and turn into girls, one would expect them to be shocked, confused and behave erratically. They don't. But everyone else does.





	1. Take off to Jusenkyo

**Author's Note:**

> Note1: This fic was first posted on FanFiction.net under the same name, but I'm re-posting it now on AO3. This AO3 version will be edited to reduce the number of chapters and make the chapters longer in length, but essentially the story will remain the same.
> 
> Note2: While there is a liberal sprinkling of Ranma ½ lore thrown in, this story can, perhaps with some minor tweaking, conceivably have taken place in the canon universe between the end of the original Inuyasha anime series and the start of The Final Act. In fact, you will see parts of The Final Act towards the end of this fic. You don't actually need to know anything about Ranma ½ to be able to follow this story, though, but it's a nice bonus if you do.
> 
> Note3: This story is a satire written for the sake of criticizing and breaking with the tropes and themes commonly found in male to female genderswap and mpreg fics in the InuYasha fandom. That is to say, the swapped characters will NOT act feminine just because they have changed sex, and they will NOT let their entire lives and emotions suddenly be dictated by the pregnancy, nor will babies make everything better.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> InuYasha and Sesshomaru fall into Naraku's trap.

The first rumors of a newly risen Naraku having crossed the sea reached their ears ten days ago.

It was by coincidence that Sesshomaru had crossed paths with InuYasha's little mismatched group while they had been setting up a joined camp with Koga and his pack. The animosity between the two brothers had at this point already waned to such an extend, that Sesshomaru merely offered a few disdainful comments, and Inuyasha returned them with some halfhearted threats.

And then Kagura had dropped by.

Naturally, Koga had gotten up to his feet, ready to get revenge for the death of his pack members.

It was only with the combined efforts of Kagome and Inuyasha that he was restrained long enough for Kagura to inform them of Naraku's whereabouts. As she flew off, Koga broke one arm free of Kagome's grasp and used it to hit Inuyasha in his head.

"Why the hell did you stop me from killing her."

"She's _forced_ to work under Naraku, ya dumbass!" Inuyasha yelled back, rubbing the sore spot on his head. "She wants to be free, but she has no choice!"

"You think I care? She _killed_ my pack!"

"And your pack killed Rin," Sesshomaru interrupted smoothly. It became deadly silent in the camp after that declaration. Sesshomaru gave the gathered lot a dismissive look, then turned around. "I care not what you do, but don't get in this Sesshomaru's way."

Of course, the only course of action that he would choose was pursuit. It was the only acceptable course of action. So, he sent Jaken with Rin and Ah-Un back to the Western Fortress, while he himself went off to the Middle Kingdom.

When Sesshomaru had departed, Kagome flew off the handle at Koga for what had happened to Rin. Koga apologized profusely and then, with the excuse of chasing Naraku, turned tail and fled for China.

The mismatched pack was last to leave, after debating the truthfulness of Kagura's information.

xxx

"It should be around these springs," said Inuyasha. "Sesshomaru's already here though, I can smell him."

Ten days since receiving the news from Kagura, they had arrived in China. Sesshomaru had been the first to arrive. Inuyasha's pack had been next; Sango and Miroku had flown on Kirara's back, while Inuyasha held onto the scruff of her neck, and Kagome had traveled on a transformed Shippo. Koga's group, unable to fly across the sea, had fallen behind.

"Welcome to Jusenkyo," said a male voice with a heavy accent.

The group turned to find an unassuming human male standing behind them.

"Who are you?" Inuyasha demanded suspiciously.

"I guide of Jusenkyo," the man replied in broken Japanese. "Is legendary training ground of Bayankala Mountain, but many sad story happen here."

"A training ground, huh?" Inuyasha looked at the many bamboo poles erected across the field and spotted Sesshomaru standing on one at the far end.

Following Inuyasha's line of sight, the Jusenkyo guide commented, "I warn not-"

But Inuyasha had stopped listening to the man and jumped onto another pole. "Bastard!" he called out, grabbing the daiyokai's attention before charging ahead.

"So, what were you trying to warn our friend of, sir?" Miroku asked, turning his attention to the guide.

"I try warn Lord not go to spring, but he not listen!" the man exclaimed in exasperation, "I try warn your friend, but he also not listen! Why no one listen!?"

"What's wrong with the springs, mister?" Kagome asked curiously.

The guide shook his head and sighed. "Many sad story happen," he repeated. "Over there, pig drown in water and now spring is cursed. There, panda drown in water and die, now spring cursed. There Yeti riding bull holding crane in one hand and eel in other drown in water and now is cursed spring. And there," he said pointing in the direction of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, "very sad story of girl drowning in spring, now cursed."

"What kind of curse are we talking about?" Sango asked.

In that moment, Naraku appeared and attacked, pushing the two brothers head first into the spring.

"Now, whoever fall into spring become girl," said the guide.

xxx

With a sputter, Inuyasha came back up. "Shit," he cursed, coughing up some water and wiping the hair from his vision.

He was quite annoyed when beside him, Sesshomaru arose from the water with much more grace.

"You will pay for this," Sesshomaru growled, glaring at a smug Naraku.

Inuyasha blinked. Was that the water in his ears, or did Sesshomaru's voice sound a few octaves higher?

But his ears had not been deceiving him. As soon as the words had left his mouth, Sesshomaru's eyes widened in surprise and his hand went up to grasp at his throat.

"Ha," Naraku said with a smirk. "You fell for my trap."

"Trap?" Inuyasha repeated, then blinked as he noticed the change in his own voice.

"I led you to these cursed springs and you fell into them. This one is the Spring of the Drowned Girl; it turns whoever falls into it into a woman."

The looks on the brothers' faces darkened at those words. Inuyasha reached up to grab at his chest... but it was flat. There was no sign of any breasts. He looked into the water for his reflection, but it was the same as ever.

The only sign of change he had noticed so far was his voice.

There was only one way to reach a satisfying answer in this. With a scowl of determination he reached down into his hakama for his manhood.

But it was gone...

"Fuck..."

The strangled word drew Sesshomaru's attention towards his brother, whose panicked expression confirmed his fears. The spider half-breed wasn't lying.

"You've become a little bitch now, Sesshomaru," Naraku gloated. "How does it feel to lose your manhood? To become weak and helpless? To lose your claim to the title of Lord of the Western Lands?"

"You think I've become powerless, because I've lost my manhood?" Sesshomaru said with cold disdain.

"I know you are." Naraku smirked. "And I can't wait until next month, when mating season starts. You will be a submissive little bitch, ripe for the picking."

With a growl, Sesshomaru pulled out Tokijin and slashed through the spider half-breed's body, which fell apart to be revealed as one of Naraku's puppets. It felt not in the least satisfying.

"Is it true?"

_Inuyasha._

Sesshomaru returned to face his - now _her_ \- brother - or rather, _sister_ \- who fidgeted slightly under her gaze.

"Not that I care, but are you really gonna lose your title?"

"The laws of our forefathers state that only a male heir may rule the Western Lands," Sesshomaru confirmed blandly. "However," and with this a tiny, chilling smile that Inuyasha had never seen the other sport before, appeared on the daiyokai's lips, "laws can be bend."

Sesshomaru returned the sword back to her hip and waded out of the water, Inuyasha on her heels.

"Hey, weren't you supposed to be this frigid bastard about rules and tradition!" she called after the daiyokai.

xxx

When the brothers, now sisters, had returned to the rest of the group, Shippo was the first to speak up. "Are they really cursed," he asked the guide, "because I don't see any difference."

"Why would there be any difference, ya idiot," grumbled Inuyasha, and that was when the group noticed the first change.

"Your voice!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Little has been affected," Sesshomaru said blandly, as though she were... bored. "Even our scent is still masculine."

"It is?" Inuyasha questioned, sniffing the air around herself. "It is!" she confirmed.

"It must be the male hormones that haven't flushed out of the bodies yet," Kagome said. She was feeling rather upset about the situation. "I remember reading something back at home about hormone therapy for sex changes also taking time."

"Would that mean the changes to more feminine appearances would be gradual?" Sango speculated. "It would be better. We would have more time to make Inuyasha adapt."

"Adapt to what?" Inuyasha frowned.

"To being a woman," Sango replied.

Inuyasha snorted. "I'm fine as I am, no need to adapt." She waved the suggestion off, but she was unprepared for an angry Kagome.

"You're _not_ fine! You're a _girl_ now!" Her love interest had turned into a girl, and was making light of the problem! How was she supposed to date Inuyasha now?

But Inuyasha just rolled her eyes. "I'll find a way to reverse this, don't worry."

"B-but..." said Shippo, "Aren't you both supposed to be smaller and more slender like Kagome and Sango? And have wider eyes and rosy lips?"

"Not all women are small and slender, Shippo," Inuyasha huffed. "And since when are big eyes and rosy lips naturally feminine features? I think you've been deceived by the facial paint, runt."

"I've become smaller by half," Sesshomaru commented impassively.

The group turned to give her an incredulous look. Still towering over everyone else, she was just as tall as she had been when she was male.

But she continued, unperturbed. "In true form, female dog demons are half the size of males; my mother is slightly smaller than I was as a male, while I still fitted into my father's belly the last time I visited his grave... I believe my current size as a female would be equal to what I had been when I was half my current age; it will certainly have impacted my strength, but on the other hand I'll be more agile."

Inuyasha crossed her arms. "Right... anything else we need to know that will impact our chances against Naraku?" She looked around the group. "Any others comments?"

"Uhm..." said Miroku. There was a thoughtful look on his face, before he made a decision and knelt down in front of the two sisters. "Will either of you bear my child, please?"

And that was Sango's cue to knock him out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ABOUT GENDER:  
> As someone who was raised bilingually (Dutch and Cantonese) I noticed how often gender plays a role in Germanic languages, such as Dutch and English. Things like gender-specific pronouns is something that Cantonese doesn't use (he/she, hij/zij is both translated as 佢 or kéuih in Yale romanization) and there is also no gender difference in roles of occupations, etc. either (actor/actress, acteur/actrice is both 演員 or yín yùhn).
> 
> So, when Sesshomaru and Inuyasha gained female bodies in this story, I was saddled with the problem of how to address them; the people around them see two women due to the lack of male equipment, but they still identify themselves as men. If it were Cantonese, I'd use kéuih without any problem, yet English divides between he/she...
> 
> In the end, I came to the decision to address the two as 'she'. By addressing the two as girls, the reader is forced to see them as girls (the same way that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's friends are). Yet, because I refuse to feminize their behavior, the reader is also forced to rethink the differences between being female (sex) and acting feminine (gender), and to reconsider traditional/conservative gender roles in the face of gender fluidity. This all would not be possible, if the reader thought of the Inu-brothers as boys, who exhibit in-character masculine behaviors, because that would be simple gender conformity.  
> 


	2. Join the girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> InuYasha experiences her friends' reactions to her changed appearance.

When they returned to Japan, Sesshomaru left for Rin and Jaken, who were still at her fortress. The group had not run into Koga on their return; and Inuyasha figured that the mangy wolf had given up on reaching China, and was instead following a different lead on Naraku.

Whatever. She was glad to be rid of the flea-bitten wolf.

"So, do we head south or back east?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha tilted her nose up. "Let me sniff out Naraku's scent first.".

"Naraku can wait," Kagome grumbled. "I badly need a bath..."

"Again?" Inuyasha complained, "But we had one two weeks ago!"

"Yes! _Two_ _weeks ago,_ Inuyasha!" Kagome cried in exasperation. "Do you have any idea how _filthy_ I am? And you! You _stink_! You need a fricken bath!"

"I don't care that I stink when Naraku is still out there planning things, idiot!"

"Ah, ladies..." Miroku tried to soothe their bickering. "I'm sure there will be a nice spring or river on our ways where we can stop to refresh ourselves while we are looking for Naraku."

"Ugh, fine..." Inuyasha huffed. "I smelled a hot spring nearby, we can set up camp there."

"Great! Thank you, Inuyasha!"

Well, at least Kagome was not yelling anymore.

They headed to the springs and upon laying eyes on the steaming water, Kagome's mood improved even further.

"This is awesome!"

"Right," said Inuyasha, "you girls go ahead first. Miroku and I will take a dip after we set up camp."

Inuyasha felt her furry ears twitch when her friends stared at her as if she'd grown a second head.

"What?! Did I say something?"

The stares were making the half-demon nervous. And why was Miroku wearing that sly look on his face? Was he planning some sort of prank on Inuyasha?

"Well, we should not waste any time then," said Miroku. He grabbed Inuyasha by her hand. "Let's start a fire first, while the _girls_ are having their bath..."

Before the two could get very far, Hiraikotsu landed on the monk's head, knocking him out cold.

"Pervert," huffed Sango under her breath.

"Inuyasha, you can't bathe with Miroku! You're a girl now, remember?" Kagome scowled.

"Uhh..." Inuyasha twitched uncomfortably. "I kinda forgot."

Kagome slapped her hand over her forehead in exasperation. "Ugh, honestly..."

"Well," said Sango, "Miroku is not going to help set up camp anymore, so we might as well do it ourselves. Come on, Kagome, you can spread out the sleeping bags; I'll gather the wood for the fire; Kirara will stand guard with Shippo; and Inuyasha, could you hunt something for us to eat?"

"Sure." Inuyasha nodded.

"Good. We can bathe after we've set up camp."

The pack set out to complete the tasks they had divided up amongst themselves. It didn't take long for Kagome to finish spreading out the sleeping bags, and soon she was off to help Sango gather wood. When Inuyasha returned with her kill, the two had already started a fire.

"Let's clean that boar out and put it over the fire," said Sango.

Soon enough the scent of roasting meat was wafting through their camp. Inuyasha licked her lips, her mouth already watering at the thought of food, as she stared contentedly into the fire.

"It's going to take a while before that's done," Sango commented. "Let's head for the springs."

"Ah, yes, a bath sounds heavenly!" Kagome exclaimed with a sigh.

They stood up, Kagome grabbing for her lavender scented soap from the future and Sango gathering the other necessary items, and then the two began to walk towards the springs with Shippo trodding after them.

It was Sango, who suddenly paused in her footsteps. "Inuyasha?" she asked.

"Wha-...?" Inuyasha gave her a lazy look, which Sango returned with one of her own, eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Aren't you going to join us?"

"WHAT!?"

xxx

Inuyasha refused to join the girls, slighting their feelings and causing a round of argument. Sango insisted that she join. What was the problem? Inuyasha was a girl now. But Inuyasha shook her head, arguing that she was still a man at heart. Sango retaliated that becoming a woman was something that needed to be _learned_ , so of course Inuyasha would not feel feminine right away, but it would come to her, if only she stopped being so stubborn. Inuyasha reminded Sango that this was not a permanent situation and that she would soon return to being male. Kagome was more ambivalent; after all, Inuyasha had been her love interest; but in the end she chose Sango's side.

"You need to learn that you are a girl now, Inuyasha. What happens when another situation like the one with Miroku comes up and you forget about your new body?"

"Then the guy will see me naked and I'll claw his eyes out."

"Inuyasha, I'm serious!"

"I am too, Kagome! Have you forgotten that I have _feelings_ for you?"

An awkward silence followed after that outburst.

It was not often that Inuyasha spoke of his feelings to Kagome, but when he did it was usually done when he was under the pressure of stress. It made Inuyasha's sudden confession all the more uncomfortable. It wasn't that Kagome did not care for Inuyasha anymore. She cared; she really did. But she was in love with Inuyasha-the-boy, not Inuyasha-the-girl. This female Inuyasha, she considered only her friend.

"I... I haven't forgotten, but I just thought..."

She wished that Inuyasha-the-girl was a different person from Inuyasha-the-boy. It would have been so much easier.

"You thought my feelings would be gone, because I'm a girl now? Well, you thought wrong. I can't join you in the hot springs, Kagome."

In the end, Inuyasha got her way. Sango and Kagome would bathe first, and then Inuyasha would go. Shippo decided to join Inuyasha, so he could "give pointers if Inuyasha does something decidedly unfeminine", as he put it. The last to go would be Miroku, if the man ever decided to wake up from his hiraikotsu-induced concussion.

xxx

The hot springs were a true welcome, even Inuyasha had to admit this. She had assumed that Shippo would prank her as soon as they entered the springs, but the little fox was surprisingly mild-mannered towards her that evening. Come to think of it, Shippo had been holding back ever since they had left China.

The sudden realization made Inuyasha frown. Was the runt feeling alright?

A rustling sound in the bushes caught her attention.

"Shippo, come here," she demanded, and for once the little fox listened to her without complaint.

She forced Shippo behind her, then pricked through her skin with her claws to draw blood. She prepared for the attack... there!

"Hijin Kesso!" she screamed, as she flung her blades of blood at the hidden demon to flush him out of the undergrowth. The demon, however, turned out to be Miroku.

"Ai!" the man yelled. One of Inuyasha's blades of blood had nicked his cheek.

"Miroku?" Inuyasha looked at the man in confusion. "What are you doing here? I thought you were out cold?"

"Oh, well... I..." Miroku shrugged sheepishly.

It was in that moment that realization dawned on Inuyasha. The expression on her face shifted from confusion to indignant incredulity to growing anger.

"Miroku... were you peeping at me?" she growled.

"To be honest, there isn't much to look at," Miroku said as he gave Inuyasha a once over and then rested his gaze on a certain point of her body.

Inuyasha frowned, following the monk's line of vision, and there, much to her surprise, was her - now _his_ \- manhood restored!

"I'm a man again!" he cried out in happiness.

"Well, I guess that means I can join you for a bath," said Miroku. He shucked off his kessa, followed by the rest of his outfit.

When Inuyasha, Miroku and Shippo returned to their camp to announce the good news to the girls, Inuyasha was met with congratulations from Sango and a relieved hug from Kagome.

The next morning, just as they were packing their bags to leave, rain drops fell from the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those who know their Ranma lore, should know what rain means for Inuyasha, hahaha!


	3. Acknowledgement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sesshomaru deals swiftly with the fall-out of her changed sex.

Sesshomaru knew when the masculine scent around her had worn off, when suddenly male demons left and right began throwing themselves in her path. She did not appreciate their attempts to woe her. Not in the slightest.

"You should just give in and let me have you, little bitch," the latest one, a snake demon, hissed at her. "You know you want me inside you."

Sesshomaru did not even deign to answer the demon's lewd remarks, as she flicked her wrist, decapitating the snake's head with her whip. The body still moved around, even without the head, but Sesshomaru did not bother to continue fighting it and took off into the air.

Most demons could not fly and would not be able to follow her.

Sesshomaru finally understood why her mother lived in an empty floating palace up in the sky.

When Sesshomaru had returned to her Western Fortress the servants and soldiers she crossed paths with looked up in surprise and confusion. She ignored them all in favor of finding Rin, who was playing with a grumbling Jaken in her bedroom.

"Lord Sesshomaru, you've returned!"

The happy girl jumped up and ran across the room to stop in front of her lord, and Sesshomaru was pleased to find that the child's reaction towards her had not changed at all.

"L-lord Sesshomaru! Your servant Jaken is so pleased with your return!"

Jaken's groveling had not changed either. Then again, his sense of smell had always been terrible.

Sesshomaru walked around Rin to stand directly in front of her retainer. Even _he_ would not be able to miss the feminine scent when she was this close. "Jaken," she said, making sure the imp also heard the change in her voice.

It still took a good moment for Jaken to figure out what exactly had changed about his lord, but when realization finally dawned upon him, the poor imp passed out.

xxx

A splash of lukewarm tea over his head awoke Jaken. He looked up blearily to find Rin giving him a concerned but curious look.

"W-wha...? I had the most strange dream, Rin," he said to her.

"Jaken."

Jaken froze.

Seshomaru's voice was... Cold. Dangerous. And several octaves higher than it should be.

It had not been a dream. His lord... had somehow turned into a woman.

"M-m-my lor-, uhh... my lady?"

A teapot connected soundly with his head.

"You will call me _lord_ Sesshomaru."

xxx

Sesshomaru could see the cogs turning in her retainer's head. The moment Jaken had realized Sesshomaru was no longer male, the imp had looked at her differently. It bothered Sesshomaru more than she let on; for despite the bad treatment Jaken always received from her, the imp was still someone who mattered. Sesshomaru would never have let Jaken follow her around all this time or given him the Nintojo, if she did not care for him in her own way.

But no one would ever know this. She would slice off her remaining arm before admitting to anyone just how much Jaken meant to her.

A warning glare crept into her eyes as her voice hardened.

"Are you trying to tell me that I am not worthy of the title?"

It was a threat: you dare to say 'yes' and I will cleave you in two. It worked.

"N-no, my lord," Jaken stuttered. He fell down to his knees, groveling before Sesshomaru. "Your unworthy servant would never dare claim such a thing! You are _always_ worthy of the great noble position as Lord of the Western Lands. I-it's j-just that..."

"That...?"

"I noticed... your change..."

He was giving her that look again, Sesshomaru noticed grimly. Though, he was still properly groveling at her feet. The groveling was not something that Sesshomaru enjoyed, but at least it meant that Jaken did not mistakenly think of her as lesser.

"Are you aware what it means to be the Lady of the Western Lands?"

"Uhm..." Jaken chanced a glance up. "I-is it not the female equivalent of being a Lord, my lord?"

Sesshomaru shook her head. "It is not. The Western Lady is always the mate of the Western Lord," she explained. "Her title is dependent of his, her rights and privileges derived from his station, and her duty only to him and his pups. Tell me, Jaken, is this Sesshomaru's worth dictated by the likes of another?"

The only possible answer to that question was 'no'.

Not even her father, the Inu no Taisho, who had guided her at every turn of her life, and whom Sesshomaru held in the greatest of esteem, was allowed that kind of power over her life. Sesshomaru would never be ruled by another. A born leader, she ruled others.

Her subjects soon realized this as well. When word went out that Sesshomaru was now female, many a skeptic and opportunist challenged her reign. When they failed to pull through her abdication by rule of law, they tried to settle the score by sword, claws and teeth.

Sesshomaru dispatched of them all without breaking a single sweat.

As she ran the latest one, a powerful dog demon general and distant cousin, through with Tokijin, she declared to all who were there to witness:

"Those who dare question this Sesshomaru's worthiness to be the Western Lord come forth and face Tokijin."

They were forced, most reluctantly, to acknowledge her reign.


	4. Naraku makes his move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's mating season and Naraku gets what he wants.

"Inuyasha, don't be silly and let us do your hair!"

"Just leave my damn hair alone!"

It had been more than two weeks ago since Inuyasha had last been a man. She still did not know how she had been able to turn back into her male form that night, or why she reverted to her female one the following morning. It would not have bothered her overly much, if not for the fact that Sango and Kagome were continuously harassing her, telling her she needed to change herself.

It was all a pile of nonsense as far as Inuyasha was concerned. Whether male or female, she was still the same old Inuyasha. But the girls did not seem to share her sentiment; they wanted her to 'act more feminine', whatever the hell that meant.

The constant comments and arguments were enough to make Inuyasha, whose self-esteem had never been high to begin with, feel very insecure about herself. It made her defensive and snap at people.

Pack life had become almost unbearable with an irritable Inuyasha. It affected the moods of the others, who became more grumpy; and a grumpy Kagome meant being 'sat' more. That was the main reason why Inuyasha had decided to let her pack take a break at the nearest spring. To let them bathe and uncoil their pent up frustrations. The peace offering backfired spectacularly, however, when the girls decided to turn their attentions to her.

"Inuyasha, your hair becomes kinky when it's washed!" Kagome argued.

Sensing another round of nagging, Inuyasha forestalled her. "Look," she said, "I only brought you here because you like your baths. Granted, it's cold water, but still, you're nice and clean, and feeling better! Now, will you please give me a moment of peace? I can't stand the constant criticizing of my looks, my behavior, and my person anymore! Leave me alone!"

Inuyasha ran off, away from her pack. But in her frustration, she had forgotten that mating season was about to descent upon them.

Her belly began to ache. At first, Inuyasha did not understand why, but then, as she felt something slick begin to trickle along her legs, she realized.

"Damn it!" she swore.

Mating season. And she had left her pack. She was an idiot.

She was about to turn back, when a loud explosion caught her attention. Her pack would have heard it too; they would most certainly set out to investigate it.

Making a decision, Inuyasha headed for the sound of the explosion.

Inuyasha smelled the spider first: Naraku. She felt her throat vibrating as a growl began to form. His stench was spreading fast, which meant the half demon was fighting someone. The scent of Naraku's opponent was familiar, but the spider's miasma was interfering with Inuyasha's sense of smell. Only when Inuyasha came upon the scene of battle did she realize who the spider was fighting:

Sesshomaru was cutting the spider's body to pieces, but Naraku kept regenerating himself.

"You are supposed to be weakened and easy to take," the spider growled in anger.

Sesshomaru scoffed. "If you thought mating season would cripple my abilities, think again."

"How can you not be affected by the season?!"

Inuyasha kept out of the wind, observing the fight silently for a moment.

Sesshomaru's movements were still as deadly as ever, but she was a fraction less fast than she could be, and she kept her body slightly hunched. The difference was so imperceptible that someone like Naraku would never notice it; no, only someone who knew Sesshomaru closely, an experienced fighter who'd crossed swords with the demon lord for years and years would notice.

Sesshomaru _was_ affected by the mating season. But she was shrugging the effects off through sheer force of willpower, as if it were nothing but a minor nuisance, like her missing arm.

Inuyasha hated to admit it, but she was impressed.

The clashes continued and bits of Naraku's flesh scattered everywhere across the clearing. Inuyasha frowned. The scene was almost familiar. Where had she seen this before? What was Naraku planning, letting himself be cut up like this?

And then it clicked.

"Sesshomaru, watch out!"

Too late. Inuyasha jumped into the open, just as a piece of writhing flesh shot forward to latch onto Sesshomaru's ankle. The rest followed, engulfing Sesshomaru's entire body, until only his head was sticking out from the mass of demon flesh.

"Inuyasha, how nice of you to join us. I did not know your _sisterly_ feelings for Sesshomaru ran so deep."

The jab stung, but not enough for Inuyasha to do something reckless.

Naraku grinned, his monstrous face twisting, crossing well into the territory of lechery, as he then addressed the elder. "I had hoped that as a bitch you would submit to me more willingly, Sesshomaru, but I am prepared to take you by force."

Though Sesshomaru's expression remained calm, Inuyasha could tell she was angry by the glint in her eyes. She also knew by the subtle downturn of the corners of her mouth that Sesshomaru was more disturbed by Naraku than she was letting on. Inuyasha made no mistake in thinking that Sesshomaru was afraid of Naraku; rather, the Western Lord was disgusted by the spider's sudden lust for her female form.

"Filth," Sesshomaru growled. "Did you honestly think you could absorb this Sesshomaru? I distinctly remember what happened the last time you tried at Kagewaki's castle."

But Naraku only laughed. "You are an arrogant bitch, Sesshomaru. I never make the same mistake twice. I did not plan to absorb you this time."

And with that, his flesh punched its way through Sesshomaru's stomach.

Naraku won.

xxx

A shocked look crossed Sesshomaru's features.

She had seen the flesh pieces flying towards her, and, rather than avoiding them, she had allowed herself to be wrapped in to make a point. She was not in any manner weaker or lesser than she had been as a male. She had broken out of Naraku's flesh traps when she'd been male, she could do it again as a female.

She had, however, _not_ been expecting Naraku to attack her in this manner.

It awoke her to her greatest flaw. Naraku was right; she had indeed been arrogant in her assumptions. She had treated this life-and-death battle as a way to prove to the world that she had not changed. She had not taken the fight seriously enough.

Gritting her teeth, Sesshomaru gathered all her youki.

A hole in the stomach was _nothing_ for a full demon like her. She would correct her mistake, and not allow for any more distractions.

A burst of energy destroyed the flesh trap that held her in place.

With another burst, she instantly healed the hole in her stomach through sheer force of willpower.

When she turned to face Naraku her eyes had flashed a blood red color.

"You...!" she growled.

But Naraku merely stepped back, smirking as he did so. "I already have what I came for, little mate," he calmly stated. "I will return for you later."

And with that, he fled from the clearing in a cloud of miasma just as Inuyasha's pack burst into the scene.


	5. Return to China

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> InuYasha and Sesshoumaru return to China in the hopes of finding a way to break their curse.

"I'm going back to the Jusenkyo springs," Sesshomaru declared. "I _will_ find a cure to this curse upon my person."

It was not that she was particularily upset by the fact that she had become female. The people who mattered to her had accepted her. Her subjects had returned to their grudging respect for and fear of her raw powers. Those that thought less of her or opposed her had been dealt with. Even the laws had been bent for her claim to the title of the Western Lord.

All in all, Sesshomaru would likely not have bothered to find a way to remove the curse, if not for one thing: the filthy way that Naraku had looked at her. It had felt more invasive and violating to her than the punch she had received through her stomach.

It was intolerable to Sesshomaru that the spider thought of her in such a disgusting manner. She did not even understand why he wanted her; he had never shown lust towards her when she had still been male, and she did not believe she had changed overly much in either behavior or appearance upon turning female. Why bother now?

It made no sense to her, but that didn't matter. What mattered was her decision to stop it and the manner in which she would achieve her goal. Naraku, for some reason, was lusting for her female form alone. Which meant that his disgusting looks would stop when she turned male again.

"Well, I'm finding the cure first," Inuyasha said.

So, they were back to being rivals. Sesshomaru almost rolled her eyes.

Almost.

xxx

Sesshomaru, along with Inuyasha and her pack, headed to the lands across the sea that very same day. Though, Sesshomaru pretended to ignore most of what was going on among the mismatched pack, she could not help but be annoyed at the manner in which the pack members treated Inuyasha, as it reminded her exactly of the way she had been looked at by her own critics upon becoming female.

It was true that Inuyasha was uncouth in her mannerisms, that her hair was wild and untamed, and her claws badly needed to be polished... all of these things which the humans pointed out were things that Sesshomaru agreed with. They were not the things, however, that had Sesshomaru feeling irked. What bothered her was the fact that they had been most tolerant of those bad habits of Inuyasha when she had been male, and were only pointing them out to her now that she had become female.

It was hypocritical.

To be treated differently by others because one's reproductive system had changed... if it had been Sesshomaru... well, she had already shown the world what happened to those who thought her less than before. And there would be no mercy for Naraku either.

Listening to another round of arguments, Sesshomaru decided to speed up her pace.

This foolishness had to end. Both for her own sanity's sake as well as Inuyasha's. Not that she cared about the half-breed...

Soon enough, they had returned to the Jusenkyo where the unassuming guide was sitting about, as if he had already been awaiting their arrival.

"Welcome back to Jusenkyo," he greeted them.

"You...!" Inuyasha stomped up to the guide and grabbed him by the front of his hanfu. "How the hell do I change back into a man!"

"I think this should've been the first question for us to ask, when Inuyasha had been dunked into that spring," Miroku quipped, earning him a glare from Kagome.

"Why hadn't you thought of this sooner, Miroku?" she said. "It would've saved us a lot of trouble!"

"Uhm, well..."

Miroku let out a nervous laugh, which only served to make Sango angry as well.

"You must've been all too happy with Inuyasha as a girl, right?" she said with false sweetness. "The only man in our group, having all the girls to yourself... and Inuyasha is so gullible that you'd have no problems copping a feel from her without her ever noticing under the banner of brotherhood."

When all Miroku managed in response was a sheepish smile, Sango slammed her Hiraikotsu onto his head, knocking him out cold. "Pervert monk," she grumbled.

"Enough!"

The group stopped their antics when Sesshomaru called them to attention. The Western Lord was sending each of them an icy look.

"I want answers," she said. "I want them now."

The guide cleared his throat, pushing Inuyasha off of him. "You want cure for curse, yes? Don't want stay girl? Hot water change you back!"

Inuyasha blinked. "Hot water?" she said. "Wait. Was that why I returned to my old self at the hot springs?"

Sesshomaru send him a short glance. "You managed to change back?"

"Only for the night.," Inuyasha confessed. "I changed to a girl again the next morning."

"The next morning..." Sesshomaru frowned. "So, the cure is temporary?"

"Hot water cure last only until cold water come," the guide supplied helpfully.

This revelation made Inuyasha widen her eyes in sudden realization. "It was raining the next morning..." she whispered in shock.

Sesshomaru scowled. " Is there not a way to make the change permanent?"

"Only one." The guide lifted a single finger. "Old Musk Dynasty of China created Pail of Preservation. You must splash hot water on self from Pail. Then you will permanently lock into male form."

xxx

They quickly set out to find the Pail of Preservation. But as they continued their journey, something odd came to Sesshomaru's attention.

On their way to China, it had been mostly her, the most powerful female demon, who got attacked by lust-crazed male demons. She hadn't thought much off it, as this had been a regular occurrence whenever she left the Western Fortress, ever since she became female. Besides, the lowlifes weren't exactly difficult to dispatch; she disposed of the majority before Inuyasha's mismatched pack even got wind of them.

But they weren't attacking her anymore.

All of their attentions seemed to have moved on to Inuyasha. The pack realized the sudden interest in the half demon, and tried to change their routine accordingly, but Inuyasha was having none of it.

"I'm not going to walk in the middle!" she protested. "Those demons are all low level weaklings anyway, that's why they can't even control their baser instincts. I can take care of 'em instantly!"

"Inuyasha, come on," cried Kagome, "something is attracting them to you!"

"Feh, like I don't know it! It ain't a problem I can't handle; Tessaiga can kill a hundred in a single swing, remember?"

"But we should be cautious regardless," Miroku reasoned. "We don't know what is causing this."

"Actually," Sesshomaru said, as she delicately sniffed the air, "I think we do." Inuyasha's pack gave her an expectant look, but she turned her attention on her sibling instead, feeling smug. "You're bleeding."

Kagome quickly rounded on the half breed. "You're injured!?" she cried out in worry. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Inuyasha blushed. "Uhm... I'm not injured Kagome..."

"You smell strange," commented Shippo, who had come to sit on Inuyasha's shoulder, and was sniffing her neck. "Kinda sweet and spicy."

"Wait..." said Sango, and Sesshomaru could tell that she had realized what was going on. "It's mating season for demons, isn't it? Inuyasha, are you in heat?"

Inuyasha crossed her arms defiantly. "Feh, what if I am?"

Another round of bickering soon erupted from the group.

"It's just a damn heat, you guys, It's not like I can't swing my sword anymore!" Inuyasha shouted towards his pack mates.

"But Sango said you're not feeling well," Kagome argued.

"There've been plenty of times I wasn't feeling well; when I was poisoned, when I was injured," Inuyasha pointed out. "I still fought!"

"But-!"

"Besides, Sango still fights when she's having her monthly bleeding! I can smell it you know!"

Sango blushed. "Ah, yes," she admitted, "but a human's menstrual bleeding is not the same as the bleeding of a dog demon in heat."

"Still part of the reproductive cycle," Inuyasha stubbornly continued.

"The sooner we find the Pail, the sooner her heat will stop," said Sesshomaru. "We should go."

"Why aren't you affected by this?" Miroku piped up beside the lord.

Sesshomaru spared the monk a sideways glance. "I _was._ But the beginnings of heat came to an abrupt end after my encounter with Naraku." A slight frowned marred Sesshomaru's features. "I don't know how it happened, or why it stopped, but I think that vermin did something to me. A heat does not simply abort itself like that."

"What do you suspect he did?"

"I don't know... but it can't be anything good."

In the end, Inuyasha got her way. She was allowed to continue the quest, and she did not have to be positioned in the protective center of the pack. But she was forced to take a bath in a nearby spring to wash her heat scent off as thoroughly as possible, and she was made to use Kagome's futuristic tampons to keep her scent from spreading too heavily, which she, surprisingly, conceded to without complaint.

It took them the entire mating season, but they found the Pail of Preservation in a city that was build high up in the mountains.


	6. The Pot of Liberation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inu-tachi and Sesshoumaru go on a new quest.

The Pail of Preservation was kept at an old shrine. An elderly monk, who had welcomed the ragtag group, had laughed heartily, however, when they had told him the reason why they needed the Pail.

"The Musk Dynasty guards its secrets well," said the monk, "even the guide of Jusenkyo knows not the workings of our treasures. I regret to inform you that the Pail will not return you to your male form."

The old man then launched into a long tale about the Musk Dynasty line of martial artists.

While the rest of the group listened without a blink of an eye, Kagome was disgusted to learn that the men of the Musk Dynasty used the Pail to turn animals into women in order to mate with them.

"It is a practice that has gone out of use now," the monk assured, much to Kagome's relief.

"How do we free ourselves from our curse then?" Sesshomaru demanded.

"Ah, to free yourself from the curse, you only need to pour hot water over yourself from the Pot of Liberation. Our shrine will gift this Pot to our esteemed guests from far on one condition." The monk held up his forefinger for emphasis. "There is a village called Nǚjié Cūn in China, whose women, the Joketsuzoku, will only marry a man who has defeated them. Our great Herb the First plans to wed one such Joketsuzoku, but he has been unable to find the village. We would like for you to bring one of their women here."

"Pah," Inuyasha huffed, "I guess we have no choice."

xxx

They found the Joketsuzoku quickly enough, and Inuyasha wondered if perhaps this guy, Herb the First, was an incompetent guy with a very bad sense of direction. The village was situated right next to the Jusenkyo springs!

At the village the group found that there was a martial arts tournament going on in full motion. After some inquiry they came to know that the tournament was held for the sake of a young woman, who was looking to get married.

"I'm gonna enter this tournament," said Inuyasha, "I'll win this thing, and then that girl will come with us back to Herb. We'll get the Pot of Liberation, break our curse, and everything will be back to normal."

"Do as you please," Sesshomaru stated nonchalantly.

"Keh, I will — even if you tell me not to."

Inuyasha jumped up the stage and took position.

xxx

 _"Wǒ... nǐ..."_ the girl uttered.

She was shaking, Sesshomaru noticed. And she smelled... angry.

"Wh-what? What did I do?" Inuyasha fidgeted uncomfortably as she stared at the furious soon-to-be bride, whom she'd just beaten in the tournament. Obviously, she'd done something to upset her.

_"Wǒ shā nǐ!"_

"Uh... doesn't that mean 'I kill you' in Chinese?" Kagome asked.

"I think we'd best go quietly..." Miroku pointed out.

They ran back to the mountain city of the Musk Dynasty with the girl pursuing them hot on their heels. That was how they delivered her to Herb the First.

They never did find out that it was tradition for the Joketsuzoku to marry the men who defeated them in battle and to kill the women who did the same.

xxx

"Look, just hurry up and give us the cure before she wakes up!" Inuyasha grumbled.

In the end, Miroku had knocked the girl out from behind with his staff to stop her from killing the half-demon.

"Ah, yes, of course!" said Herb the First. He snapped his fingers once, and the elderly monk who had greeted them first upon arriving at the mountain city went to do his bidding.

Surprisingly, Herb had turned out to be the pretty boy type. He had long flowing hair tied up in a neat ponytail, and Sesshomaru could smell a very subtle hint of dragon in his scent. Although the blood had been so diluted that Herb was a human for all intents and purposes, Sesshomaru could tell that in a distant past this boy's ancestor must have used the Pail of Preservation to take a dragon for a wife.

The monk came back with the Pot of Liberation.

"It is yours," he said. "It is already filled with hot water."

"Thank you," said Kagome.

They took the Pot; and Herb and the monk left the ragtag group to their own privacy.

When Inuyasha finally returned to his former self, relief swept over him in waves.

But when Sesshomaru also returned to being a man again, he did not feel the same way. He felt anger. And a hint of fear.

Finally, he knew what Naraku had done to his body.


	7. Naraku's gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naraku reveals his plan.

_That **sick** bastard._

"Sesshomaru?!"

He saw his own red eyes reflected in the gleam of his brother's golden gaze.

Of course he hadn't noticed before. He had been female. After a mating season that would have been a natural state of _her_ body.

Now he was male again, and what had been natural before, now felt like an invasion of _his_ being.

The knowledge of his violation pushed Sesshomaru over the edge. He plunged his claws into his stomach, sending a wave of miasma into the room.

"What are you doing?!" the miko cried out in a panic.

He tried to penetrate his claws deeper, but in that moment Naraku's signature barrier erected itself around the foreign creature in his stomach.

"You really think I'll let you kill it that easily, little mate?"

Naraku's disembodied voice carried through the room like an ominous choir.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha yelled. "What the hell did you do to Sesshomaru!?"

Naraku's voice laughed with smug satisfaction. "My offspring will have the blood of one of the strongest demons in existence flowing through its veins. Sesshomaru, how does it feel to receive the honor of carrying my child?"

"I would rather die!" Seshomaru growled.

"No, you won't. The child is innocent, after all. As its mother, you will come to love it and protect it. Just like any bitch loves and protects its own pup. You can't ignore your maternal instincts."

"For any other pup, perhaps," Sesshomaru retorted, "except yours!"

And with that said, he released his poison from his claws into his own body.

"Don't do it, Sesshomaru!"

In a panic, Inuyasha jumped on his brother, ripping his claws from his stomach. A spray of poison dripped onto the wooden floor, melting it.

"Such a kind uncle you are, Inuyasha." Naraku's voice chuckled nastily. "But don't worry, I'd already anticipated the mother to be volatile; pregnant bitches are after all irrational, unpredictable creatures. I made sure that my child will survive any attacks by Sesshomaru."

Inuyasha growled lowly in his throat. "I did _not_ stop him for your sake, Naraku!"

Then, turning to Sesshomaru, "I know you are upset, but don't play into his hand, Sesshomaru. If you kill yourself, what will happen to the Western Lands, to the imp and that human girl of yours?"

His brother mentioning those things he held closest to his heart were enough to make Sesshomaru pause in his actions. Still, being pregnant with the spider's child was unacceptable.

"This Sesshomaru will not give birth to Naraku's spawn!" Sesshomaru yanked his arm out of Inuyasha's grip. "Don't stop me from getting rid of it!"

"Even if you hurt yourself in any foolish attempts to harm my child, it will survive with my protection, Sesshomaru," Naraku warned. "It is mine too, after all. I made it specifically, so it would survive the most hostile of environments. If it does not receive the proper nourishment from you, it will continue to grow by feeding on your own body; I designed it like that, so it would survive even if you accidentally died while still carrying it."

It was a very elaborate way to simply go about impregnating a bitch, Sesshomaru realized despite his haze of anger. A typical thing for Naraku, who loved planning intricately twisted plots.

"Why go through all this trouble? What are you planning to do with this spawn of yours?" Sesshomaru demanded.

"I plan for you to give birth to it and raise it lovingly from innocent pup to righteous, upstanding individual, little mate," Naraku explained condescendingly. "And when it is fully grown and strong like its mother, I plan to take it back from you and absorb it into my body. I will have your blood flowing through my veins and become the most powerful demon in existence, while you'll be inconsolable with grieve from the loss of your pup."

"You are sick, Naraku!" Inuyasha cried out.

Naraku laughed. "Yes, I'm a sick, cruel bastard. In fact, I think I might torture our pup a bit before absorbing it into my body."

"We won't let you get away with it!" Inuyasha vowed. "We'll make sure to protect the pup from you!"

"We'll see who gets the last laugh in the end, Inuyasha," Naraku said.

The miasma dissipated from the room, and Naraku was gone, his evil aura vanished without a trace.


	8. Argument with Sesshomaru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sesshomaru and InuYasha argue about the pup's fate.

"Che, that bastard," Inuyasha huffed. "C'mon, everyone, let's get outta here!"

"We should keep the Pot of Liberation as well. Who knows, we might need it again in the future.," said Sango.

They were ready to leave when Inuyasha stopped. "Oi, bastard," he called out to his brother, who still hadn't moved from his spot yet, "are you comin', or do we gotta invite your princely ass over?"

Sesshomaru did not say anything, but the look in his eyes, which seemed to border on something almost like amazement, made Inuyasha pause for a moment. Was it something he said...?

"What!" he demanded in annoyance.

"You cannot be serious, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said incredulously. "Are you honestly asking me to travel alongside you?"

Inuyasha made to open his mouth to answer Sesshomaru, but when he didn't know what to say he closed it again, making him resemble a fish somewhat.

It was Kagome who picked up the conversation.

"Sesshomaru," she said, "I know we haven't always gotten along, but you're pregnant now. You should travel with us so we can help you."

"Are you implying that this pregnancy is obstructing my ability to fight, miko?" Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes threateningly. If she so much as insinuated that he was weak, he would make her head roll.

"T-that's not what she meant, Lord Sesshomaru," said Miroku, who tried to keep the peace. "I'm sure you're very capable of protecting yourself. We just want to prevent whatever evil plans Naraku is hatching for your pup."

"Miroku is right," said Inuyasha, who had recovered from his speechlessness. "I didn't ask you to join us because I find it jolly fun, I'm doing it for the pup's safety."

That struck a wrong cord with the Western Lord.

"Safety?" Sesshomaru growled. "Fool, have you forgotten that this is Naraku's spawn!"

"I haven't!" Inuyasha yelled. "But the pup is innocent!"

Sesshomaru glared at his brother with cold disdain. "You think this Sesshomaru cares for such sentimentality? It means nothing to me. I will find a way to get rid of this spawn."

It was silent for a moment.

Then, Inuyasha shot his brother a bitter glare and sneered.

"Of course you don't care about such _human_ sentiments. Who cares for a half-breed, huh? This is just another stain on your perfect family line that you need to get rid of."

Sesshomaru was silent.

For a long moment, he regarded his half-brother in contemplation, but then he turned around and left the mismatched pack and the mountain city in China. As he went back to the Western Fortress, a few stray thoughts of regret entered his mind.

He should have spoken to counter those words.

_Inuyasha, you and this pup are not the same. You are alive because father gave his life to protect yours._

But if he ever said that...

_You were loved. Father loved you._

He could not say those things to Inuyasha! Not even to take away that alien bitterness he'd witnessed in the normally brash half-demon. Comfort his half-breed brother? Hah! Even if their relations had improved since that episode with the Unmother, he'd still rather have the other cut off his remaining arm!

When Sesshomaru picked up Rin and Jaken from the Western Fortress, he made sure that his retainer picked up on his changed scent.

"Lord Sesshomaru, you changed back! But... your scent is still not as it used to be...?"

"That's because Naraku put his spawn in me."

"What!?"

"This Sesshomaru will find a way to get rid of it."

_Inuyasha, you and this pup are not the same. You were loved by father, and by your human mother. But neither Naraku nor I love this pup._

_..._ it would be a cold comfort.


	9. The voice within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Kagura dies, Sesshomaru experiences a change of heart. He contemplates if this change will carry over to the pup growing inside his belly.
> 
> Meanwhile, Naraku keeps taunting Sesshomaru.

It was as Sesshomaru was battling Moryomaru that he caught her scent.

"Did that stupid woman die?" Moryomaru mocked, as he was holding Sesshomaru up in his tentacles. "After betraying Naraku and I for some trivial thing called freedom, she ended up dying a pathetic death, and completely in vain at that."

_How... how dare he!_

The insult pushed Sesshomaru over the edge.

"Shut. Up."

In a sweep, Sesshomaru cut through the entrapment. He forced the demon back, then, with a swing, cracked the protective shell on Moryomaru's shoulder where a Shikon shard was embedded.

_Whether Kagura's wish for freedom is trivial, whether her death is in vain or not, is for **me** to decide._

The sword, Tokijin, broke and Moryomaru saw his chance to flee.

Sesshomaru went to see the last of the wind.

"Are you disappointed that I'm not Naraku?" she asked with a defeated smile on her lips.

"I knew it was you."

How strange. He had come to care for her, even though she, too, was Naraku's offspring.

When he wished for Tenseiga's strength, it would not respond to his command. There was nothing he could do.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes... it's been enough..."

The last thing she offered him as she left was her smile.

And Sesshomaru silently wondered...

Would he have loved his pup better if it had been _hers_?

Could he still come to care for his pup, like he came to care for Kagura? Even though the both of them were of Naraku's blood?

xxx

Naraku's presence was now constantly in his mind, chiding him for everything he did.

"You're a disobedient little mate, Sesshomaru," Naraku's voice murmured. "Taking on Moryomaru like that, even though I told you to stay out of fights."

Sesshomaru ignored the incessant ramblings.

"Do not forget that you will soon become a mother."

Demons thought that he was vulnerable now, without Tokijin to protect himself. Now that he no longer had his sword, they came swarming towards him, ready to take him down. The fools. He dispatched of them easily.

"You need to take better care of yourself now, for the sake of our pup, Sesshomaru."

The sounds of water beating against the rocks of the cliffs was soothing. Even Jaken's grating voice, as the imp reprimanded Rin for sticking flowers to his forehead, was a comfort, a distraction from Naraku.

Sesshomaru almost huffed, as he stared out over the ocean and thought of the wind demoness.

Were Rin and Jaken not supposed to be the only ones who mattered?

Then why was he thinking of _Kagura_?

His feelings regarding her must have changed since that moment when he fished her out of the river. No, they had likely already been changed before in his many encounters with her. That time, as he fished her out of the river, he had no longer felt the passive hatred for her that was present in his heart for all Naraku's offspring. And now, in her death, he no longer held apathy towards her. He felt something... something for _her_...

A demon's presence came their way.

Another one of those fools who underestimated him?

Or one of Naraku's henchmen? Lately, that disgusting spider had been sending him gifts. Mostly, these gifts consisted of fresh kills of wildlife. The half-demon was providing for him, taking care of him as if he truly thought they were mates.

It made Sesshomaru's skin crawl.

The demon who approached him, however, turned out to be merely Totosai.

"I see. That's how it is," said the old blacksmith. "I knew something was missing: Tokijin is gone."

"Even without my sword, my claws will be enough to tear you apart," said Sesshomaru.

"That has nothing to do with this; I was compelled to come here because Tenseiga called to me. You must have noticed your sword making noise."

He _had_.

"It appears now your heart has what it was lacking," Totosai continued. "Tenseiga reacted to the change in your heart. A heart that felt rage and sorrow for another, most likely."

For _Kagura_.

Totosai held out his hand. "Come, hand over Tenseiga. It's time reforge it."

And that was how Sesshomaru received Meido Zangetsuha.

xxx

Sesshomaru smelled the scent before he attacked the illusionist with a crescented Meido Zangetsuha, saving the boy from death in the process.

"That was a surprise. You again, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Byakuya.

He was Naraku's new offspring. The first time Sesshomaru had met the demon of dreams and illusions, it has been when he was about to test his newly forged Tenseiga on Moryomaru.

"Moryomaru's scent has vanished," Sesshomaru commented. "I presumed he was eaten by Naraku?"

Instead of answering him, Byakuya said: "So. You came to save Kohaku? That wouldn't be in your character."

Sesshomaru quickly took assessment of the scene around him. The boy was entangled in snakes that tried to pump miasma into his being to defile the Shikon shard that was embedded in his neck.

The boy's struggles reminded Sesshomaru of _Kagura_. Of how he'd been unable to save her.

He remembered that once upon a time he wouldn't have cared. Byakuya was right, this was unlike him.

"I merely came to cut away an irritating smell," Sesshomaru replied emotionlessly. "That's all."

"Well, well..." A swirl of wind came up. "I'll take my leave then," said Byakuya, as he was lifted up on his origami. "It wouldn't be funny if I was cut down by a passerby."

When he was gone, Rin sprung out from the undergrowth of the forest. "Kohaku!" she cried.

"Don't touch him, Rin. Those snakes are venomous."

He firmly told himself that the only reason Kohaku was allowed to follow him was because of Rin. Because she liked the boy. He, the killing perfection, was not changing.

"Is that what you think, little mate?" Naraku taunted inside his head, "I think it's because your instincts are growing stronger. Taking in two stray children to be our pup's playmates... you are so thoughtful."

Sesshomaru wanted to strangle the spider.

_Shut. Up._

"This is why you'll make an excellent mother, Sesshomaru."

_This Sesshomaru is **not** a mother._

xxx

Sesshomaru could feel Naraku's child growing rapidly inside his belly. Normally, this would result in the expansion of the pregnant person's waistline, but Sesshomaru refused to give even an inch to the spawn.

He may have stopped trying to claw it out of his body, but this didn't mean he had accepted it.

_Never._

He would never accept being Naraku's mate. Never share with the filthy spider a pup.

He forced his body to remain in shape through sheer willpower alone. His belly remained flat and taut through the constant force of youki he kept directing its way.

The process was a nuisance and slowly leeching him from his energy, but Sesshomaru had gone through much worse before. Sacrificing a bit of youki to remain in shape was nothing, if it meant he did not have to play along with this farce of a pregnancy.

Even so, the spawn continued to grow. And with Sesshomaru refusing to give it the room to expand, something else had to give way instead. That something turned out to be Sesshomaru's innards.

It was Jaken who first noticed that Sesshomaru had stopped hunting for prey altogether.

"M'lord? You have not been eating for weeks," the servant croaked out worriedly.

Sesshomaru brushed the concern aside with a scoff. "I have more important things to attend to. I must perfect the Meido Zangetsuha."

The Meido Zangetsuha had been a convenient excuse to keep his companions from inquiring further after his health.

He knew that refusing food would not stop the spawn from growing. Felt it seeking out alternative forms of nourishment, and latching onto his ample streams of youki instead.

"That is what you get for refusing to take care of yourself," Naraku chided him inside his mind.

_Shut up!_

"You have fallen into the habit of repeating yourself, little mate." Naraku chuckled softly. "I had thought you to be more eloquent than that."

Sesshomaru gritted his teeth and forced himself to ignore the spider's taunts. The incessant chatter continued on in his mind for what felt like an eternity, but like the pattern of a clockwork, Naraku grew bored with him and retreated from his mind in two hours.

Two hours.

His rants always lasted exactly two hours.

And the spider hanyou called _him_ predictable.

Sesshomaru shook his head.

He would never be a mother. Even if he miraculously did not hate the pup, he still had _his own_ mother to look to as proof of how unsuitable motherhood would be for him.

Everyone always said Sesshomaru took more after the demoness in both appearance and character compared to the Inu no Taisho, and Sesshomaru could not disagree with that assessment. Sporting a kind of grace and beauty that was almost otherworldly, a cold and aloof character, and a stubborness unmatched — he was the spitting image of his mother. Even his wanderlust was a trait he inherited from his mother's free-spirited nature.

Speaking of his mother...

Where had she moved her palace to this time?


	10. The child that was (un)loved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sesshomaru learns to love, but remembers that it is not always extended.

Behind him, Jaken and the children were mumbling with each other, but Sesshomaru paid them no heed.

His sword was pulsing. That meant she must be close.

_There!_

He transformed into his true form and flew into the sky to meet her with a rough brush against her flank. The two great dogs twined in greeting before crashing back down onto the earth, transforming back into their regular selves to speak.

"Sesshomaru," she said, her voice like a cool breeze, "so, it's you."

"Hey! Who do you think you are?!" cried Jaken behind him.

His retainer kept babbling like the fool he continued to be despite his many years in Sesshomaru's employment. Jaken always did have a peculiar wish for death and, if Sesshomaru was being honest with himself, that was one of the main reasons why he kept his retainer around. It was highly entertaining to see the incompetent toad bumble into minefield after minefield. Insulting his mother's presence with his ignorance was just one more bonus... not that Sesshomaru would ever tell anyone of his secret pleasures.

"You must have questions about the Tenseiga your father left you," the demoness went on, as if Jaken wasn't even there, "if you've come to visit your mother."

He kept his stoic mask firmly in place, though hearing Jaken stumble over his words in shock upon hearing the demoness reveal her identity as his Lady Mother tickled Sesshomaru's sense of humor.

_Ah, Jaken... such a fool toad you are..._

xxx

He had simply wanted to learn more about Tenseiga and the Meido Zangetsuha from his mother when he followed her into her palace in sky. Something to occupy his thoughts with, to push the spider demon from his mind, which would at the same time be beneficial to his ultimate goal of reaching his father's greatness.

But his desire for more had cost him.

He knew his mother's reckless nature. Had not been surprised when she'd unleashed a hell hound upon him. Yet one split second of inattention caused by his reduced youki levels cost him Rin.

The hell hound swept down, captured Rin and Kohaku, and took them into the underworld. He followed without hesitation.

He shouldn't have brought Rin along with him. When he'd summoned Rin back from the netherworld after she'd been mauled by wolves, he should've left her in a human village.

He knew that, but...

_I can't save her? Tenseiga, I let her die for **this** thing?_

Nothing could ever be worth the cost of Rin's life!

He purified the thousands of corpses of the underworld and slashed a path back to his mother's palace with a Meido Zangetsuha that had expanded considerably in size, but his heart could not rejoice. Without Rin, all of this was meaningless.

His mother rebuked him mercilessly.

"Tenseiga can only call a life back from the dead once," she said and Sesshomaru felt himself freeze in shock.

She continued, however, paying his internal turmoil little heed: "Sesshomaru, did you believe yourself to be a god? You need not fear death with Tenseiga in your hands?"

The lesson in compassion he received from his mother then was a harsh one, but she returned Rin's life to him through her Meido Stone, and his heart lifted when Rin opened her eyes for him.

 _I love this child,_ he finally admitted to himself. _I love Rin._

xxx

He stood up to leave with his companions, but it was in that moment that an indescribable pain seared through his abdomen and he collapsed.

"What's going on!?" the Lady Mother cried in alarm.

Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth as the contractions suddenly came in quick succession. "Naraku," he managed to grit out.

Then, the last of his consciousness left him and he fainted.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, no!" Rin cried.

Jaken fell onto the floor. "Lady Mother, please!" he blubbered in his panic, "Please, help your son! A few months ago our great Lord Sesshoumaru was attacked by the foul and malicious Naraku. I was not present then, and do not know what exactly transpired, but my Lord has since been carrying the burden no demon should carry!"

The Lady Mother narrowed her eyes on Jaken. "Little demon," she said with a voice of cut ice, "explain yourself."

And Jaken obeyed. He told the Lady Mother of finding the Lord returned to the Western Castle as a demoness, of how he sought to turn himself back to a demon, and of the child Naraku had implanted in him, which he had since been carrying.

When Jaken finished his explanation, the Lady Mother frowned minutely. "I see. Well, my son was right to have come here then. My Sky Palace has been a sanctuary to the Western Lord since I mated his father. It continues to be a sanctuary to any Western Lord while I remain the Western Lady."

And with that said, she directed her Sky Palace with lightning speed to fly to the Jusenkyo cursed spring of the drowned girl in China.

xxx

Sesshomaru dreamed of his parents, of their mating, and of his own upbringing.

Back then, the Inu no Taisho had been a demon in his prime, intent on expanding his Western territory. His brash demeanor and lofty goals had earned him a certain reputation and a slew of enemies, and so he'd been in search of a hideout. Coincidentally, on a certain day, as he was making a tactical retreat from one such enemy, he crossed paths with the Queen of the Sky Palace. She had only just been crowned upon the passing of her mother and was in search of a means to expand her status and reputation to surpass her predecessor. When each learned of the other's intentions, the two young dog demons formed a pact.

"You'll lend me sanctuary in your Sky Palace..." the Inu no Taisho said.

"... and, in return, you'll give me a strong heir and I will be the Lady and future Lady-Mother of the West," the Sky Queen finished.

The pact thus formed, the two dog demons mated and a son was born out of this union. Curiously, though love had never crossed the mind of either demon and lovers they would never become, the two came to genuinely care for one another as time passed. They worked well together as a team, and, in time, the Sky Queen came to be the Inu no Taisho's most trusted tactical ally and a dear friend of the heart as well.

But no matter how close they grew, there was always one harrowing point standing between the two friends: Sesshomaru.

"I will _not_ agree to this, my Lady! He is too young!" the young Sesshomaru would often hear his father yell at the Sky Queen.

"If I stay any longer in your stuffy Western Fortress, I will go mad!"

"The boy needs a mother, a steady home, a strong hand to guide his upbringing, and to learn the meaning of love and nurture!"

"Pah, love! What next, you'll turn him into a coddler of humans, like you? Our son should come with me and learn of the wide world! I can take him on a journey across all six continents, four oceans, and one-hundred-and-eight spiritual realms!"

On and on it went, the arguments between his parents, the tug-of-war that he became inevitably stuck in, until one month before Sesshomaru's one-hundredth birthday...

"I cannot take it anymore! I will _not_ stay here any longer!"

The Sky Queen had packed her belongings and was heading for the Western Fortress' entrance.

"You can't just leave, my Lady. Sesshomaru—"

"Sesshomaru is old enough now to be without his mother."

"You'll... leave him behind?"

The Inu no Taisho was baffled.

"As much as I disagree with you over the way our son is being raised, my dear, I know you. You'll _never_ give up the reigns over his upbringing. I don't wish to fight you any longer."

"My Lady... he will resent you for leaving."

"Even if he resents me, I will go. I can tell that our son is suffering from our many arguments; it will be better when I'm gone. Besides, I know Sesshomaru will turn out well no matter what, because he is of _my_ blood."

That day, when his mother transformed and took to the sky, Sesshomaru erected a wall around his heart.

The walls had slowly crumbled when Sesshomaru met Rin, but they weren't entirely gone. His father had tried to teach him love and kindness, but when Sesshomaru opened his eyes and stared into to face of his own son, he could not muster any of those warm feelings.

xxx

With a swipe, Sesshomaru's hand had curled itself around the pup's neck, yanking it from Jaken's hold.

The pup slammed into the floor, eliciting a squawk from his retainer and an aborted cry from Rin and Kohaku. He ignored them in favor of sizing the life in his claws up with a cool glance. A vague feeling of disgust managed to crawl over Sesshomaru's skin.

Naraku had been wrong. Sesshomaru had _not_ developed any motherly feelings of love for this pup.

The pup was beginning to turn blue in the face as Sesshomaru took his time to organize his thoughts.

He had miscalculated.

He had expected to be granted more time in finding a way to abort this pup based on the fact that dog demons commonly carried their offspring for thirteen months before giving birth.

He had not accounted for the fact that Naraku was _not_ a dog demon.

Humans carried for nine months. He knew this from what he had gleaned of Izayoi's pregnancy. And spiders? Generally no more than five weeks.

Silently gritting his teeth, Sesshomaru berated himself. He should not have forgotten who the other half contributing to this brat was!

"Are you going to kill it, Sesshomaru?"

Looking up into his mother's dispassionate face, he considered things.

The hatred he had expected to feel for this pup was absent. There was disgust, yes, but that was directed primarily at the knowledge that Naraku had used his body in such a manner. Mostly, Sesshomaru realized, as he glanced back down at the struggling pup, his feelings towards this child were being eroded by an all encompassing sense of apathy.

He felt _nothing_ for this child.

Slowly, he eased up his grip, allowing the pup to breathe, as he pondered its fate.

He had not been successful in finding a way to abort this pup. Having gone through the trouble of carrying it to term and giving birth to it, was it still worth the effort to end its life?

A speculative, calculating gleam entered Sesshomaru's eyes.

How useful would this child be, if kept alive? Naraku wanted it to grow up strong and healthy in order to reabsorb its power, which meant that this child had potential.

Sesshomaru scowled. A half-demon? With potential?

A flash of InuYasha crossed his mind, but he ruthlessly crushed it down. InuYasha was good for a half-demon, but even his full strength was only equal to that of Sesshomaru's one arm.

A quick whiff to ascertain the pup's possibilities, however, brought up something very surprising: this pup _wasn't_ a half-demon.

Sesshomaru blinked in fascination.

A full-demon child. Eighty percent dog demon blood (Sesshomaru's contribution), with nineteen percent admixture of spider blood (mostly likely chosen to speed up and secure a safe pregnancy), and another one percent of fox origin (giving this pup an affinity for magic). Apparently, when Naraku was not procreating through parthenogenesis, he could choose which parts of himself he wished to pass on.

"Hnn..."

Sesshomaru none too gently picked the child up by his throat, before tossing it like a rag doll at his mother. The Sky Queen's quick reflexes kicked into gear and she held her arms out to catch the pup out of the air.

"What's the meaning of this, Sesshomaru?"

He gave her one of his trademark expressionless glances. "You always say that you regret passing my upbringing to father. Now, you finally have the chance to create your own protégé. Consider this my _omiyage_ to you, mother."

For a moment his mother appeared astonished, but her surprise did not last long. "Well..." she said, a pleased grin forming on her painted lips, "it seems my son is a cute child after all."

Sesshomaru shot her an annoyed look.

"Rin. Kohaku. Jaken."

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru!" they answered his command in unison.

"Let's go."

Ignoring his mother's reprimands at his rudeness, he turned and left, not looking back even once.


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything returns to normal... or not?

They defeated Naraku.

Kagome disappeared.

After that, life appeared to return to normalcy.

Rin came to live at the village and Sesshomaru often came by to visit her. However, it was on one such occasion that it rained and InuYasha instantly smelled the change.

With a couple of jumps, he landed in front of Kaede's hut where Sesshomaru stood, preparing to take off to the sky.

"Why are you a girl again? I thought the curse had been lifted after our trip to get the Pot of Liberation?"

"It was lifted," Sesshomaru affirmed. Then, with an air of nonchalance, elaborated: "My mother took me back to the Spring of the Drowned Girl to make the affliction return."

There was so much to be discerned in that one statement that InuYasha was momentarily stumped.

"W-wha…? You have a _mother_?"

His brother — no, right now Sesshomaru was his _sister_ — raised a haughty brow. "Most creatures in this world do."

"N-no," InuYasha sputtered, "I just meant that— the old man was— a-and _my_ mother…" He didn't know how to finish that sentence without sounding like a complete jerk.

Thankfully, Sesshomaru didn't seem to notice his difficulties. "It's rare for demons to engage in friendships, but rarer still is it for us to find love," she stated. "I don't know whether I should consider it a blessing or a curse, but Father was exceptional for finding both: Mother was his closest friend; Izayoi, his beloved."

"I… see."

InuYasha shifted nervously, as Sesshomaru gave him a thoughtful look.

"Hnn… it appears you take after Father in this too."

"Right."

An uncomfortable pause fell in their conversation.

As the pause stretched longer, the light drizzle of the rain slowly morphed into fat drops that splattered onto the unpaved ground in front of Kaede's hut, creating wide pools of mud. To InuYasha's utter annoyance, he noticed that the rain did not leave a single stain on Sesshomaru's pristine garnment, nor did it affect her perfectly groomed hair.

The picture of perfection, that Sesshomaru appeared to be effortlessly pulling off, made InuYasha feel increasingly awkward.

"Uh… so," he began, after he could no longer tolerate the pressing silence, "why did your, err… mother… why did she take you back to that cursed spring?"

"How do you think I gave birth to Naraku's offspring?"

Without batting an eyelash, Sesshomaru had parried InuYasha's question with one of her own.

InuYasha turned to his sibling with a look of amazement. "You— You didn't get rid of it?"

"It wasn't worth the effort," was Sesshomaru's calm reply.

"Then…" InuYasha asked hesitantly, "is the pup still alive?"

"In Mother's care," Sesshomaru confirmed.

She gave him a sidelong glance, the calculating gaze causing InuYasha's ears to twitch rapidly.

"Perhaps…" —and this must've been the first time _ever_ , InuYasha realized in complete bafflement, that he had heard Sesshomaru speak with a note of uncertainty in her tone of voice! "… you could visit? If you want…?"

"I… yeah, I—!" InuYasha felt his heart beat in excitement at Sesshomaru's veiled extension of rapprochement, "I mean, yes, I wanna see the runt!"

"Hnn…"

With a flick, Sesshomaru slapped the tail end of mokomoko-sama into her sibling's nose, eliciting a curse from InuYasha. Grumbling under his breath in disgruntlement, InuYasha grabbed hold of the fur to pull it out of his face just as Sesshomaru took off into the sky.

And thus, with a few choice expletives, InuYasha hung on for dear life as his sibling flew him towards the Sky Queen for their first ever family reunion.

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this story, then consider visiting [my website](https://sonnygoten.wordpress.com/about/).


End file.
